Henry Roberts is a key player in NYC’s Australian cafe culture; his ventures have contributed (in no small way) to the endless queues for flat whites and avocado toast in the city. I first met him in 2014, and he has since gone on to open a handful of locations, most recently expanding to Austin Texas.
I caught up with Henry to discuss staying competitive in New York City and what’s next for Two Hands.
SS: Briefly, can you tell us how you got your start in the restaurant industry?
Two Hands started with the roll of the dice on a small space in Nolita NYC. I had a passion for hospitality and coffee and I missed the Australian cafe culture from back home. Prior to that I had worked over 2 years in restaurants in NYC and enjoyed working at Pubs all over Sydney back home.
SS: Two Hands is now a staple in New York – what was the thinking behind the brand when you were starting out? Did you think it would get this big?
Not at all. The business grew organically year on year. The response to the style of food, coffee and ambiance we were providing really took off and it was encouraging for us which sparked the interest of how we could capitalize on our success and our growing brand.
SS: What do you think is the key to success for any restaurant opening up in New York City given the vast amount of competition?
Consistency.
SS: How do you stay competitive in a market like New York?
It is definitely a challenge, particularly after the honeymoon period is over. You have to always stay relative and consistent. The quality of your product needs to always be at its best or else the competition will wash you out.
SS: What components go in to keeping customers loyal and attracting new customers?
I've said it before but consistency. It's the number one challenge for a business like mine.
SS: You opened your fifth location and your first out of state in Austin last year. What led you to Texas? What types of things do you analyze before entering a new market?
Austin TX is a great market, a huge amount of growth is going on and it seemed like a very exciting move for the brand.
SS: You now supply your restaurant locations with beef, pork and lamb from your latest venture, Stockwood Farms. What was the thinking behind it?
I began to start farming in upstate NY in 2017 and the dream was to supply the restaurants with the best quality beef, pork and lamb we could. It was been steady growth (starting a farm doesn't happen overnight). We are now in a place where we supply beef, pork to NYC, beef to Austin and we are growing our lamb flock.
SS: What’s next for Two Hands?
We will be opening up in Nashville TN in Q1 of 2022.
You can check out Two Hands here.